I put the AirPods Max vs Nothing Headphone (1) through an 8-round face-off — here's the winner

Tom's Guide

3 days ago

Nothing's first pair of headphones impressed in build and features, but they were ultimately let down by their poor out-of-box sound. Still, they're a full $250 less than the AirPods Max — and does that make a difference between the two?
The AirPods Max are the cream of the Apple crop, with loads of features and a futuristic design. But how does this aging titan hold up against the new Odysseus and his golden sheepskin? Lets find out.
Comparing the Nothing Headphone (1) to the AirPods Max might seem like a tall order and perhaps not the fairest comparison, but you'd be surprised how well the two square up to one another. From a metal build and some interesting features, the $250 price difference might seem like a difficult one to justify.
After all, the Nothing Headphone (1) is the latest upstart in the headphone space. They're aimed squarely over the bow of the best wireless headphones, like the Sony WH-1000XM6, Bose QuietComfort Headphones, and, of course, the AirPods Max. Nothing has packed them full of features, like spatial audio and impressive ANC: But is it enough to make a dent in Apple's aluminum defense?
The AirPods Max have been around for a while now, but their USB-C refresh did bring an extra feature in wired USB-C hi-res listening. They're a venerable ANC titan, still going blow for blow with the current flagships — but how do they stack up against the brand new Nothing Headphone (1)?
Nothing Headphone (1)
AirPods Max
Price
$299/£299/AU$549
$549 / £499 / AU$899
Colors
Black; Silver
Blue; Purple; Midnight; Starlight; Orange
Size
Not specified
Not specified
Weight
11 ounces
13.6 ounces
Battery life (rated)
Up to 80 hours
Up to 20 hours
Connectivity
Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC, AAC and LDAC support
Bluetooth 5.0 with SBC, AAC
Special features
Adaptive ANC, Ambient Sound Mode, Bluetooth multipoint, customizable sound, quick charge, passive mode, Spatial Audio
ANC, spatial audio, audio sharing, Siri
There's only one way this is going to go — if you don't want to spend loads of money on your noise-canceling headphones, you're going to buy the Nothing Headphone (1). They cost $299, a price which brings them lower than even the AirPods Max's closest rivals. Despite that lower price, they still offer loads of excellent features and some flagship specs. Food for thought.
The AirPods Max, on the other hand, cost $250 more than the Nothing headphone (1). For $549 you get superior build quality and better sound, (spoiler alert), but it's a massive price gap. Despite the occasional discount over deals events for Apple's headphones, the winner here is the Nothing Headphone (1).
The Nothing Headphone (1) don't feel like something that costs $300 — they feel a lot more premium than you might expect. First of all, there's the standout design, which uses Nothing's signature see-through style for a unique pair of headphones indeed. Underneath a clear panel there's a slick cassette motif, which I think looks really cool.
The rest of the earcup is made out of metal for a super premium feel, and some reassuring heft. The headband is slightly more of a letdown with a very thin layer of padding along the top, which can impact a pressure point across the top of your head.
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The earcup foam isn't quite up to task either, and for glasses wearers and those with piercings, they press in all the wrong places. They're not completely uncomfortable, but there are some issues that Nothing needs to work on for the next pair.
Thankfully, the protective case is excellent — and far better than Apple's. It's thin, compact, and nice and hard. I had no qualms about slipping it into a bag, knowing that the headphones would rest safely inside.
Despite some design weirdness in places, the AirPods Max are a lovely-looking and feeling pair of headphones. Those aluminum earcups are fantastic in the hand, and the mesh headband looks amazing. They're unique, but they're not too "out-there" — a well-balanced design that exudes luxury. You know where the money went the moment you put them on your head.
Despite some design weirdness in places, the AirPods Max are a lovely-looking and feeling pair of headphones.
Although weighty, they're still comfortable — or at least, they are straight out of box. Their deep eacups give plenty of space for your ears, and the headband and clamping force are both well judged. But, and it is unfortunately a big but, they don't quite stand up to extended use. My Lightning pair that I've had for a longer time have suffered loosening in the headband material, making them slightly more uncomfortable.
That's something to bear in mind, but we also don't know how the Nothing Headphone (1) stand up to years of use and abuse. Where the AirPods really fall down, though, is their 'protective' case — mostly because it's not either of those things.
It covers the earcups with a kind of felt-lined suede stuff, and only really protects the aluminum surface of the earcups. The headband is completely open to the elements — like your keys in your bag. Not excellent.
Still, the AirPods Max are more comfortable and feature a nicer build and overall design than the Nothing Headphone (1), even if their case is awful. This round is. draw as a result.
Both sets of headphones feature my favorite kind of controls — physical buttons and knobs. The Nothing Headphone (1), for example, have a volume wheel, a skip and pause 'paddle', and a physical on and off switch. They're rounded off with a button that you can assign different functions — conjuring an AI assistant, for example.
They are excellent controls with great tactility. They can get a little confusing, however, given that each button has so many features. Multiple presses and holdings can muddy the control waters, making them slightly less intuitive than those found on the AirPods Max.
The AirPods Max have by the most intuitive control system of any pair of headphones ever. There's a button to turn the ANC on and off, and a volume dial that controls playback. The dial is a little like the digital crown on Apple Watches, but larger. There's a subtle click when turned inside the headphones, but it's a nice sound as opposed to Nothing's more invasive and 'clicky' feedback sounds.
Even years later I'm yet to see controls better than the AirPods Max — which is why they take the win here.
I wish this one was harder, but alas, it's not. The AirPods Max are a much better sounding pair of headphones than the Nothing Headphone (1), and it's not even close. Nothing's Headphone (1) have significant audio foibles to their sound profile, with a sonic darkness that's impossible to ignore.
It makes music sound less intimate, and yet also much narrower in scope. It leaves dynamics to the wayside. and makes for a disapointing listen if you care about sound. Even though KEF, my personal HiFi brand of choice, had a hand in their tuning, I found little to rave about with the Nothing Headphone (1). That's a big shame in my eyes, considering the massive steps that Nothing has made in it's solid earbud line.
Highs are at least detailed and there's some control to the deepest bass notes, but a pervasive lower mid section makes them an unengaging listen overall.
The AirPods Max, on the other hand, are a much nicer thing to listen to. They've got an incredibly wide soundstage, making the music sound like it's coming from all around you — and that's before the spatial audio feature has come into effect. They're incredibly well detailed, giving some great clarity to drum cymbals and other high-frequency sounds.
Bass is well controlled and impactful, and the mids are well represented. They're a more balanced listen than the Nothing Headphone (1), seemingly more well tuned from factory. The AirPods Max sound good without work — the Nothing need significant work in an EQ to sound ok.
Then there's the Spatial Audio of the AirPods Max. It's more restricted in that it only works with some streaming services — Apple Music, mainly — but it's a true Dolby Atmos product. That means good surround, and excellent head tracked spatial audio for your. music.
The Nothing Headphone (1) use their own spatial audio 'thing'. It's not very good, and thins out the music for a more spacious-sounding mix. Leave it turned off. Thanks to much better sound and superior spatial audio, the AirPods Max take this victory.
In order to stand up to the more expensive competition, the Nothing Headphone (1) have been packed full of features. Not all of them are good — spatial audio, ahem — but there are plenty of them straight out of the box. You'll find them all in the Nothing X app, which is a solid way of controlling a headphone's features. Everything is well laid out for both Apple and Android users, with all the features easily found without too much tapping around in menus.
The EQ adjustment is the most useful feature given the sound issues, which is something the AirPods Max don't have. Not that the latter need it, however. There are multiple ANC levels as well, although as with every other ANC system, I just leave it at max and be done with it. I've never seen the need for 'less ANC' when I want to block out my environment. Battery gains are minimal when you do engage lower ANC modes, I discovered.
Bluetooth 5.3 is very up to date, as is codec support for LDAC. Not that you'll notice the difference in sound quality. Wired mode is useful, though, especially if your work laptop doesn't have Bluetooth enabled.
The AirPods Max don't have quite as many features, but those that exist work better than the Nothing Headphone (1). The aformentioned superior spatial audio is a big one, of course, but so too is one of the best things about AirPods in general. The interoperability between Apple devices is very much a winner for Apple users, as the headphones instantly switch from iPhone to MacBook to iPad without any problems at all.
There's no app, per se, but Apple users can control the AirPods Max through the settings menu of their iOS, iPadOS or macOS device. It's well integrated, but Android and Windows users are left out in the cold. With no sandwich.
For this section, it's another draw – both have comparable features, but Nothing's don't work as well and the AirPods don't mesh with non-Apple devices.
Nothing has done a stellar job with the Nothing Headphone (1) — their noise canceling is very good. It silences offices with no problem at all, and public transport becomes instantly more tolerable. It's remarkable just how good it is, considering the price, and if you can put up with their sub-par audio performance, it makes them well worth picking up for the price.
But the AirPods Max are just better. They block out more noise, and the transparency mode is more natural-sounding. Bose still does a better job overall, but the AirPods Max are no ANC slouch. They take the win here handily.
This is another quick and dirty section, although it's not going to Apple's way this time. The AirPods Max battery is... bad. 20 hours of battery life is almost to be pitied when compared to pretty much any pair of ANC headphones you can buy in 2025, and woeful when stacked up to the Nothing Headphone (1).
Turn the ANC off, and you get 80 hours of battery out of the Nothing Headphone (1). That's excellent — although turn the ANC on and you'll find 35 hours of staying power. That's still better than the AirPods Max, so they take the win in this section.
The Nothing Headphone (1) are not a bad pair of headphones, but they are (as you could probably expect) completely outclassed by the Airpods Max. That's not to say things didn't get close along the way — there where more draws here than Apple might have liked, especially when you take into consideration that $250 price difference.
Unfortunately for Nothing, the Headphone (1) just can't compete where it matters – sound, comfort, and ANC. It does make me very excited for the next version of the Nothing Headphone however.
The valiant fight the first model put up certainly makes for a more interesting battle should those issues be ironed out — AirPods Max 2, it's all on you now. If we ever see you.
Nothing Headphone (1)
AirPods Max
Price and value (5)
4
2
Design (15)
14
14
Controls (10)
8
9
Sound quality (25)
15
24
Active noise cancelation (20)
17
19
Call quality (10)
6
9
Connectivity (5)
5
5
Battery life (10)
9
4
Total Score (100)
78
82
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